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XM Satellite Radio channel history
This is a list of former channels on XM Satellite Radio, in addition to information on format changes of existing channels. Also included is information on temporary channels & seasonal channels. Before the Sirius & XM channel lineup merger These actions took place before 2008-11-12, the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. Format changes These XM channels still exist on the lineup, but have made changes to it's presentation method or playlist. * ESPN Xtra - Was 24/7 ESPNEWS TV audio rebroadcast until 2008-02-04. * XM Café - Was formerly titled Starbucks XM Café from 2007-07-31 until 2008-09-30. * Quoi de Neuf - Was Art & Entertainment news & information until 2007-04-09. * Radio Parallèle - Was Men's Lifestyle & Sports Talk until 2007-04-06. This channel titled SportPlus until 2007-04-06 & Franc Parler from 2005-11-17 to 2006-04-17. * Fuego - Was Latin Pop until August 14, 2005. This channel titled Alegria until April 17, 2006. * The Pink Channel - Was a simulcast WLTW in New York City, New York until December 1, 2003 & formerly titled Lite. Following the format flip, the channel was titled Sunny. This title remained until 2008-08-18. Among the formats for Sunny were Beautiful Music until May 1 2006, Nostalgic Music until June 2006, AM Gold music & finally Early AC. * Highway 16 - Was 90s & 2000s Country on ch. 15 until December 1, 2003. Formerly titled Highway 15. * KISS - Simulcast KIIS-FM/KVVS in Los Angeles, California until December 1, 2003. Flipped to hits of the 90s & today in June 2006. * MIX - Simulcast KHMX in Houston, Texas until December 1, 2003. Changed again May 1, 2006 to play wider array of hit music from 1970s onward. * Nashville! - Simulcast WSIX in Nashville, Tennessee until December 1, 2003. Formerly titled WSIX. * The Verge - Was Unsigned Artists until November 17, 2005. It's now a channel programmed by Canadian Satellite Radio. It's original name was Unsigned & after that, (un)Signed. * Top Tracks - Played Classic rock until shifting to Early Classic Rock on March 1, 2006. Later Classic Rock was spun off into Big Tracks. Defunct channels These channels are no longer part of the XM platform. * BET Uptown (XM62) - Urban Adult Contemporary station from BET. Brought in-house & changed to Suite 62. * C|Net Radio (XM130) - A simulcast of KNEW in San Francisco. The station was about news & information regarding technology. It changed formats due to financial losses. (Removed on 2/1/04) * C-Wave (XM105) - Outsourced Chinese language music channel. Was deleted when XM decided to move more programming in-house. (Removed on 8/26/02.) * CNNfn (XM128) - Complete coverage of business news. The network was shut down in 2004. (Removed on 12/2/02.) * CNN Sports Illustrated (XM141) - Sports News & In-Depth Features. The network was shut down on May 15, 2002. (Removed around 5/12/02) * USA Today (XM121) - News from USA Today & it's staff in collaboration with XM. (Removed on 12/2/02.) * Discovery Channel Radio (XM161) - Discovery Channel programming. Originally programmed 24/7, then during nights & weekends. (Was removed on 9/1/05) * Babble On (XM168) - Talk channel geared towards teenage audience, deleted for low listenership. One of the 1st programming casualties of XM. (Removed on 12/2/02.) * Playboy Radio (XM205) - Premium channel provided by Playboy for an extra $4.99 a month. Was deleted due to low subscription turnout. (Added to lineup on 8/26/02. Removed on 9/1/05.) It has now resurfaced on Sirius Satellite Radio. It's available without an additional fee, but subscribers must "opt in" to receive the channel. * MTV Radio (XM155) - MTV audio simulcasts & pop hits. Also included Headbangers Ball & various MTV award shows. (Original channel that was on 25. Moved to 155 on 2/1/04. Removed from satellite lineup on 9/30/05.) * VH1 Radio (XM156) - VH1 audio simulcasts & pop hits. Also included Behind the Music. (Original channel that was on 24. Moved to 156 on 2/1/04. Removed from satellite lineup on 9/30/05.) * Buzz XM (XM166) - Hot Talk station provided for Clear Channel terrestrial talk shows, renamed "America Right" to complement Air America (originally called "America Left" but changed when Air America signed an exclusive deal with XM) (Was removed on 4/5/04) * XM News (XM120) - In-house news service. 3rd party channels defeated it's purpose. (Was removed on 8/26/02.) * Tejano (XM93) - Tejano music channel owned & produced by Univision. When XM went to commercial free music, Univision pulled out. * Radio Taj (XM104) - Outsourced Indian language music channel. Was deleted when XM decided to move more programming in-house. (Removed on 8/26/02.) * Red Cross Radio (XM248) - A temporary channel used to aid victims of the Hurricane Katrina crisis. * NASCAR 2 (XM145) - 2nd NASCAR channel for pit crew audio. Added on 9/4/04. This station ended after the 2005 racing season & has not returned. *'Sporting News Radio' (XM143) - This channel simulcasted the entire Sporting News Radio lineup until 8/28/06, when it was replaced with XM's in-house sports channel XM Sports Nation. The new channel still plays select SNR shows, especially on weekends. *'MSNBC' (XM130) - TV audio rebroadcast. Was removed on 9/4/06 due to scheduling changes across the XM platform. *'NASCAR Radio' (XM144) - NASCAR Racing & Talk. Was removed on 1/1/07 as the NASCAR contract expired & NASCAR's new deal with Sirius started. XM Produced shows were merged into XM Sports Nation, which now occupies the channel number. *'Hear Music' (XM 75) - The Voice of Music @ Starbucks. Was removed on 2007-07-31, as bandwidth was used for XMX. This channel merged with XM Café to create Starbucks XM Café. *'ABC News & Talk' (XM 124) - News/talk & entertainment. Was removed on 2007-09-24, as Citadel Broadcasting will be shutting down operations of, or selling off, it's satellite networks as a cost-cutting measure. * The Flow (XM61) - Neo-soul music. This channel moved from the satellites to online only. Removed on 2008-07-15. * The Torch (XM31) - Christian rock music. This channel moved from the satellites to online only & was also on DirecTV. Removed on 2008-07-15. * Luna (XM95) - Latin Jazz music. This channel moved from the satellites to online only & was also on DirecTV. Removed on 2008-07-15. * On the Rocks (XM79) - Lounge music. This channel moved from the satellites to online only. Removed on 2008-07-15. * XM Music Lab (XM51) - Progressive rock and jam bands. This channel moved from the satellites to online only. Removed on 2008-07-15. * Fuego (XM90) - Reggaeton & Hispanic Rhythmic. This channel moved from the satellites to online only & was also on DirecTV. Removed on 2008-07-15. * Special X (XM154) - Freeform novelty music. This channel moved from the satellites to online only & was also on DirecTV. Removed on 2008-07-15. * WSIX (XM161) - Simulcast of Nashville, TN-based Country music station. Removed on 2008-08-08. * Fungus (XM53) - Removed on 2008-09-15 * XMX (XM2) - XM Featured Shows. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * X Country (XM12) - Progressive Country. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * The Rhyme (XM65) - Classic Hip-Hop. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * Beyond Jazz (XM72) - Progressive Jazz. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * Fine Tuning (XM76) - Eclectic. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * Chrome (XM83) - Disco. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * Aguila (XM92) - Regional Mexican. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * Caricia (XM93) - Spanish Oldiea. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * The Weather Channel (XM125) - 24/7 Weather Radio Network. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. Content is now aired on Sirius XM Weather & Emergency. * XM Sports Nation (XM144) - Sports Talk & Play-by-Play. Removed on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * E! Entertainment Radio (XM162) - Entertainment News & Celebrity Gossip. Removed on 2008-11-08 prior to the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. * Vibra - Rock en Español. Removed from DirecTV on 2008-11-12 after the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. Channels which have changed ownership *'The Torch' - Programmed by Salem Communications until 2006, then programmed by XM Radio. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'The Message' - Programmed by Salem Communications until 2006 under Salem's trademark brand The Fish, now programmed by XM Radio. *'Spirit' - Programmed by Radio One, Inc. until 2004, now programmed by XM Radio. *'The Verge' - Programmed by XM Radio until November 2005 as Unsigned, now programmed by XM Radio Canada. *'The Flow' - Programmed by Radio One, Inc. until 2004, now programmed by XM Radio. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'RAW' - Programmed by Radio One, Inc. until 2004, then programmed by XM Radio. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'The City' - Programmed by Radio One, Inc. until 2005, then programmed by XM Radio. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'Fuego' - Programmed by Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation under the name Alegria with a Latin Pop format, until it merged with Univision Radio in 2002. Univision Radio programmed the channel until 2004. It was then programmed by XM Radio, who changed it's name & format. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'Caliente' - Programmed by Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, until it merged with Univision Radio in 2002. Univision Radio programmed the channel until 2004. It's now programmed by XM Radio. *'Aguila' - Programmed by Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, until it merged with Univision Radio in 2002. Univision Radio programmed the channel until 2004. It was then programmed by XM Radio. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'Vibra' - Programmed by Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, until it merged with Univision Radio in 2002. Univision Radio programmed the channel until 2004. It was then programmed by XM Radio & was a DirecTV exclusive. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'Caricia' - Programmed by Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, until it merged with Univision Radio in 2002. Univision Radio programmed the channel until 2004. It's now programmed by XM Radio. On 2008-01-01, this channel returned to the satellite broadcasting with a Spanish Oldies format. This station is not present on XM anymore. *'America Right' - Programmed by Clear Channel Communications until May 2006. It's now programmed by XM Radio. *'ABC News & Talk' - Programmed by ABC Radio until 2007-06-12. Programming was turned over to Citadel Broadcasting as part of the merger between Citadel & ABC Radio. This station is not present on the XM satellites anymore. *'The Power' - Programmed by Radio One, Inc. until 2008-01-01, now programmed by XM Radio. Channels canceled before launch * XM announced in April 2006 that in late spring/early summer 6 regional News & Talk channels (XM 134-XM 139) would be added & provide regional news coverage for every area of the continental US. These channels were to have been provided by Clear Channel Communications & were to have been located in "Regional News, Talk & Music Channels." According to Jon Zellner via a subscriber email, Clear Channel decided to forego the launch of these channels. The category still exists for the 5 music channels & WLW. The original plan was to create a set of regionalized, 5-minute newscasts. Each newscast was to carry 90 seconds of advertising, with the 3:30-minute balance devoted to regionally targeted news. The channels were to be titled: **'Northeast News & Talk' **'Southeast News & Talk' **'Midwest News & Talk' **'Middle America News & Talk' **'Southwest News & Talk' **'Northwest News & Talk' Channels of unknown status * XM Announced in 1/31/06 that they would be adding Traffic & Weather channels for Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver-Boulder, Milwaukee-Racine, Portland, Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, Sacramento, San Antonio & Wilmington, DE to their NavTraffic product during the first quarter 2006. NavTraffic requires a subscription separate from the regular XM service. Rumors are reporting that a Traffic & Weather station could be dropped for Cincinnati due to the recent addition of WLW on XM ch. 173. Seasonal/holiday channels These channels are season & holiday-based & are only around for a part of the year. It's not uncommon that they take the place of an existing channel. * Holly (Sirius 81/XM 35) - Holly is one of Sirius XM's annual month-long Christmas music channels that plays all the holiday musical hits. It's playlist is similar to what 1 would find on an FM Adult Contemporary station that has switched to Christmas music. * Holiday Traditions (XM 36) - Exclusive to XM, Holiday Traditions focuses on older seasonal pop recordings. * Holiday Pops (Sirius 79/XM 37 & 77) - This holiday channel plays choral & orchestral music with a Christmas theme. It replaces Sirius XM Pops in December & is therefore presented in XM HD Surround. Formerly known as "Pops Holiday Classics" (2005) & "A Classical Christmas" (2006-07). * Radio Hanukkah (Sirius 3/XM 38) - This channel was debuted in 2006 for the Hanukkah celebration. Radio Hanukkah featured the best in Jewish music, comedy, Broadway, talk & kids programming. This was the 1st radio channel dedicated exclusively to Jewish culture. * Bing Crosby Christmas Radio (Sirius 113/XM 120) - Hosted by members of the Crosby family, this channel features more than 20 years of vintage Crosby radio specials. The following seasonal channels also aired on XM in past years. * Music City Holiday - From 2005-07, this temporary XM holiday channel featured Christmas-themed country music. Originally known as "A Nashville Christmas" (2005). * Special XMas - From 2001-07, this seasonal incarnation of the defunct Special X channel featured novelty holiday music, from songs by the likes of Alvin & the Chipmunks & Barney, to the more grown-up xL tastes from punk rock bands. Special XMas also aired online & on DirecTV. XM on AOL Radio On 2008-04-30, the XM channels were no longer offered on AOL Radio, thus ending a partnership between the 2 entities. On or after the Sirius & XM channel lineup merger These actions took place on or after 2008-11-12, the merger of the Sirius & XM channel lineups. Channel Mergers These channels was merged with their Sirius counterpart to reduce redundancies across the 2 channel lineups. * America was replaced with The Roadhouse. * US County was replaced with Prime Country. * The Heart was replaced with Sirius XM Love. * Flight 26 was replaced with The Pulse. * XM Hitlist was replaced with Pop2K. * Spirit was replaced with Praise. * Fred was replaced with 1st Wave. * XM Café was replaced with The Spectrum. * Top Tracks was replaced with Classic Vinyl. * Ethel was replaced with Alt Nation. * SquiZZ was replaced with Octane. * Big Tracks was replaced with Classic Rewind. * Lucy was replaced with Lithium. * Soul Street was replaced with Soul Town. * Suite 62 was replaced with Heart & Soul. * The City was replaced with Hip-Hop Nation. * High Standards was replaced with Siriusly Sinatra. * Audio Visions was replaced with Spa. * The Move was replaced with Area. * XM Chill was replaced with Sirius XM Chill * Vox was replaced with Metropolitan Opera Radio. * XM Classics was replaced with Symphony Hall. * XM Kids was replaced with Kids Place Live. * XM Live was replaced with Specials. * XM Comedy was replaced with Raw Dog Comedy. * Take Five was replaced with Sirius XM Stars. * XM Emergency Alert was replaced with Sirius XM Weather Emergency. Micro-channels These channels are specialty themed channels aired to coincide with an event, or devoted to a single personality or musical artist. * Me-103 (XM 103) - In celebration of XM's 4 million subscribers, they held a contest for a listener to program his/her own channel for a day. *'FIFA World Cup 2006' (XM 148) - Was the home for English World Cup Soccer Commentary & Play-by-Play. Added on 3/24/06. This station left the day after the completion of the 2006 World Cup. (Removed on 7/10/06.) * XM Green (XM 76) - Between 2007-03-16 & 2007-03-18, this channel featured Irish folk music in honor of Saint Patrick's Day on ch. 200. In 2008, XM Green preempted Fine Tuning on ch. 76 from 2008-03-15 to 2008-03-17. * Play Ball! (XM 120) - A special program of baseball-themed songs & spoken word bits, timed to coincide with Opening Day of the MLB season. Aired on ch. 200 between 2007-03-30 & 2007-04-02 & on ch. 120 between 2008-03-29 & 2008-03-30. * Larry! (XM 130) - Between 2007-04-16 & 2007-05-04, channel 130 featured replays of The Larry King Show along with interviews & new material. Originally scheduled for 5 days starting on 2007-04-16 the broadcast was extended due to the Virginia Tech Massacre & replayed the CNN coverage of Larry King Live that was aired during that week. * XM Summer (XM 120) - This channel, featuring a marathon of summer-themed songs, 1st aired on ch. 120 between 2007-06-20 & 2007-06-22. It re-aired on 2008-06-21. * Uncle Sam (XM 120) - This channel, featuring patriotic American music for the 4th of July, aired on ch. 120 between 2007-07-03 & 2007-07-05. It re-aired on 2008-07-04. *'Earth Sounds' (XM 39) - Between 2007-07-07 & 2007-07-09, this channel featured nature sounds of the earth, aired on ch. 39. This micro-channel was a part of XM's Live Earth coverage. * Christmas In July (XM 120) - Between 2007-07-25 & 2007-07-26, this channel featured popular Christmas music themed in the middle of summer. The channel aired on XM Live 120. *'Car-B-Q' (XM 120) - Between 2007-09-01 & 2007-09-03, this channel featured a mix of songs about traveling & Car music aired on XM Live Ch. 120. *'P.O.T.U.S `08' (XM 130) - Produced in conjunction with C-SPAN & covering the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, this channel launched on 2007-09-24 & will run until after the election on 2008-11-04. *'Igor' (XM 120) - Between 2007-10-29 & 2007-11-01, this channel featured a mix of Halloween music aired on XM Live Ch. 120. *'Party City' (XM 120) - Between 2007-12-26 & 2008-01-01, this channel featured a mix of music to bring in the New Year that aired on XM Live Ch. 120. *'XM LED: The Led Zeppelin Channel' (XM 59) - Between 2007-11-08 & 2008-03-08, this channel featured Led Zeppelin music 24/7 on ch. 59. The channel, renamed Led Zeppelin Radio, is being re-aired on XM ch. 39 & Sirius ch. 12 from 2008-11-01 to 2008-12-31. *'XM THRILLER' (XM 63) - Between 2008-03-01 & 2008-03-31, this channel featured Michael Jackson music 24/7 on ch. 63, in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Jackson's Thriller album. *'Strait Country' (XM 17) - Between 2008-04-01 & 2008-05-31, this channel featured the music of country singer George Strait 24/7 on ch. 17, temporarily pre-empting US Country. *'Papal U.S. Visit '08' (XM 120) - Produced in conjunction with EWTN Global Catholic Network, this channel covered Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the U.S. on ch. 120 from 2008-04-15 to 2008-04-20. *'30 Days of Coldplay' (XM 51) - From 2008-07-15 to 2008-08-15, ch. 51 played the music of Coldplay 24/7, along with interviews & exclusive live performances. *'Mandatory Metallica' (XM 51) - From 2008-08-16 to 2008-09-30, ch. 51 played the music of Metallica 24/7, along with interviews & exclusive live performances. *'AC/DC Radio' (XM 53) - From 2008-09-15 to 2009-01-15, ch. 51 will play the music of AC/DC 24/7, along with interviews & exclusive live performances, temporarily preempting Fungus. *'World Series Radio' (XM 55) - Essentially a retitled encore of the 'Play Ball!' microchannel (see above), 'World Series Radio' aired on 2008-10-26 to coincide with Game 4 of the 2008 World Series.